CSA Cooking: Eat the Rainbow Salad - Modern Farmer

CSA Cooking: Eat the Rainbow Salad

This vibrant salad is chock full of vitamins and antioxidants - and with orange-roasted beets, crispy radishes and snow peas, dark greens, and fresh herbs, it's a vision on the plate, too.

This recipe is part of the Just Picked series, a partnership between Modern Farmer + Foodterra.

Eat the Rainbow Salad

Nutritionists urge us to eat a gorgeous rainbow of fruits and vegetables to get the vitamins and antioxidants we require. This vibrant salad – bursting with orange-roasted beets, crispy radishes and snow peas, dark greens, and fresh herbs – fits the bill. If you don’t feel like firing up your grill, you can roast the beets in a preheated 425°F oven for 25 to 35 minutes instead.

  • olive oil, as needed
  • 1 orange (ends trimmed, cut crosswise into slices )
  • 8-10 small beets (peels on, trimmed, leaving ½ inch of stem on each)
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 25–30 snow peas ( cut lengthwise into fine matchsticks)
  • 2–3 radishes (thinly sliced)
  • 7–10 lovage leaves (finely chopped)
  • 5–7 mint leaves (finely chopped)
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 tsp honey wine vinegar (we use Slide Ridge brand)
  • 12 baby carrots (peels on, trimmed)
  • Meyer Lemon and Mint Vinaigrette (recipe below)
  • about 2 cups loosely packed, roughly chopped spinach
  • mustard flowers, tops of ‘Red Frills’ mustard greens, and Johnny-jump-up flowers for garnish
  1. Preheat a charcoal grill to medium-high heat. Stack 4 squares of aluminum foil and fold up the sides. Drizzle center of foil with oil and fan orange slices on top.
  2. In a medium bowl, toss beets with enough oil to coat them. Season with salt and pepper. Place beets on top of oranges and wrap foil around them, leaving a small vent at top of packet for steam to escape. Place packet directly on hot coals and roast for 15–25 minutes, or until beets are fork-tender. (Be careful when opening foil packets to check for doneness; hot steam will escape.)
  3. While beets cook, in same medium bowl, mix together peas, radishes, lovage, mint, lemon juice, a drizzle of oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside, stirring occasionally to help soften the peas.
  4. Toss carrots with oil to coat and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 2–3 minutes, just until softened. Meanwhile, make Meyer lemon vinaigrette.
  5. When beets are done, wrap them in paper towels and rub with your fingers to remove skins.
  6. Make a bed of spinach on a serving dish and dress it with a little oil, salt, and pepper. Top with radish and snow pea mixture. Arrange beets and carrots on the salad, sliding a few beets underneath the greens. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Garnish with mustard flowers, ‘Red Frills’ tops, and Johnny-jump-ups.

 

Meyer Lemon and Mint Vinaigrette

  • ½ shallot (minced)
  • 2 lovage stems (finely chopped)
  • 7–10 mint leaves (finely chopped)
  • 3 capfuls honey wine vinegar (we use Slide Ridge brand)
  • 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons Meyer lemon olive oil (we used O Olive Oil brand)
  1. In a medium bowl, mix together shallots, lovage, mint, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in oil, whisking to incorporate.

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Laurie Macrae
2 years ago

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